I just paid my third annual fee for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Cardand I did it without hesitation.
The reason is simple: year after year, this card essentially pays me to keep it open and I get ahead.
Here’s why this card has been one of the most rewarding cards I’ve ever owned (long after the thrill of the first-year welcome bonus wore off) and why I plan to hold on to it for years to come.
Related: Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Capital One Venture X: Is it worth the extra $300?
Why I’m happy to pay the annual fee again
Although the $395 annual fee on the Company X It’s not insignificant, it’s lower than most’s annual fee competitive premium cards.
In my second year, I used the benefits of the card to get almost $800 in value from a winter getaway to the Caribbean to the beautiful, sunny island of Grenada, including my travel costs TSA PreCheck and Global Entrywhich I love because they continue to save me a significant amount of time every time I go through an airport in the United States.
These are the benefits I value in my third year of card membership:
- Annual credit: $300 in credits each cardholder year for reservations made through the Capital One Travel portal.
- Anniversary bonus: 10,000 bonus miles for each account anniversary (starting with my first anniversary), valued at $185 through December 2025 from TPG ratings.
- Access to the lounge: Complimentary access for me and up to two guests to Capital One Salons and more than 1,800 Priority pass lounges. Unfortunately, Access to the guest lounge will be restricted. in 2026.
- Impressive portal earning rates: I earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals, and 5 miles per dollar spent on vacation rentals and flights booked through Capital One Travel.
- Excellent daily profit rates: I earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on all other purchases.
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The $300 Capital One travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles easily cover the $395 annual fee for me each year, so the lounge access and generous earning rates boost me even further as I earn tens of thousands of Capital One miles with this card on top of the anniversary bonus each year.
Related: Highest offer in 4 years: How good is Capital One Venture X’s 100,000 mile bonus?
Venture X is the default in my wallet
I have many travel credit cards with different benefits and profit rates. It can be exhausting trying to remember which card gets bonuses every time I need to pay for something, especially if there’s a line of people behind me at a busy coffee shop or bar.
My Company X The card earns 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases, which is more than any other card I own, including the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees). That’s why I set it as the default card in my Google Pay app.
My husband is an authorized user on all of my cards, and while he loves the benefits of redeeming points and miles, like getting an award seat at Qatar Airways Qsuite Business ClassHe’s not as obsessed with credit cards as I am.
It doesn’t make sense for you to memorize earning rates for multiple cards, so I set the Venture X card as your default card in Google Pay. This way, when in doubt, you can simply tap to pay and earn 2 miles for every dollar spent.
How I’m maximizing my Venture X as a third-year cardholder
In 2026, I am planning a tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
I will use the $300 travel credit from my Venture X to reduce hotel costs in Lexington, where the tours depart from. Since I will be staying multiple nights, total lodging costs will likely exceed $300. However, for any out-of-pocket hotel costs over that amount, I will earn 10 miles per dollar spent when booking my stay through the Capital One Travel portal.
I’m flying into Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) on British Airways from London, so I’ll use the 10,000 anniversary miles (as well as the tens of thousands of miles I’ve earned on the card over the last year) to pay for the flights by transferring them to British Airways Club Program in a ratio of 1:1.
Since I’ll need a car to drive from Cincinnati to Lexington, I’ll also book it through Capital One Travel, both to earn 10 miles per dollar spent and to take advantage of the bundled service. Car Rental Collision Damage Waiverwhich I hope I don’t need to use.
In a nutshell
My Venture X card retains its place as a go-to card in my wallet because its value exceeds the annual fee.
And currently, new applicants can earn the ultimate welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening, so if you’ve ever considered adding this card to your wallet, there’s never been a better time to apply now.
